


Rings Of Wonderland

by MsBluebell



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS
Genre: Aggressive Therapy, Alice in Wonderland References, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Found Family, Friendship Therapy, Fujiki Yuusaku Needs A Hug, Gen, Kidnapping, Lost Incident 2.0, Lost Kids As Found Family, Lost Kids Bonding, M/M, Make People Care About Fujiki Yuusaku, Mystery, Play Games To Stay Alive, Post-Season 2, Re-traumatize To Work Through Your Problems, Survival Games, THEY DESERVE IT, The Lost Incident (Yu-Gi-Oh), They Are Absolutely Going out for BBQ After This, Trans Fujiki Yuusaku, Trauma Friendship Edition, Unseen: Ryouken Is Losing His Goddamn Mind, pre-season 3
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-02
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-15 14:48:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,555
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29810040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsBluebell/pseuds/MsBluebell
Summary: A second kidnapping was among Yusaku's greatest nightmares, his worst fears compacted into three separate words. But after everything he's been through, everything he's fought for, the hard won peace and the friends he's made, he hoped that nightmare could be put to rest.He was wrong.(Or, forcing the Lost Kids to face their issues in a death game)
Relationships: Ai | Ignis & Fujiki Yuusaku, Fujiki Yuusaku & Homura Takeru, Fujiki Yuusaku & Homura Takeru & Kougami Ryouken | Revolver & Spectre, Fujiki Yuusaku & Kusanagi Jin, Fujiki Yuusaku & Kusanagi Shouichi, Fujiki Yuusaku & Sugisaki Miyu, Fujiki Yuusaku/Revolver | Kougami Ryouken, Spectre/Sugisaki Miyu/Zaizen Aoi
Comments: 9
Kudos: 34





	Rings Of Wonderland

Something is wrong.

Yusaku realizes this before he ever even opens his eyes. Consciousness is slow to return, but the immediate sense of  _ wrongness  _ he feels is undeniable. So he examines, checking off the points of why he feels this way in threes. One, he doesn’t remember falling asleep last night. Two, it takes him too long to remember where he was last, and when he does he recalls a street where one would not willingly fall asleep. Three, the ground is hard underneath him.

Green eyes peel open, and it’s far more difficult than it should be. They feel crust covered and dry, and it hurts to move his eyelids. He lets out a small groan, only to find that his voice is similarly dried and scratchy. His body hurts as well, it always hurts, but the sore tugging of his veins within his skin is accompanied by the scratching tingles that come from falling down.

A grey roof greets him when he manages to peel his eyes open.

Where…?

Ice spreads through his veins when he realizes he doesn’t know where he is or how he got here. Heart hammering in his chest, he throws himself up with a sudden burst of energy, a real, tangible, fear spilling adrenaline into his body and forcing it upward, the pain almost nothing as he pushes himself to his feet. A blanket falls from around his shoulders, and the soles of his bare feet scrape against carpet. His breath hitches as he spots blank white walls, almost shuttering as the fear grows and causing him to involuntarily tremble minutely.

Calm down, stop, breath.

Examine your surroundings, fine three clues to where you are and why you’re here. 

The boy forces himself to take a long, deep, breath. It does not calm him down, and the trembling doesn’t stop. But he’s somewhat focused now, and he can try to figure things out. Brushing his hands through his hair, Yusaku takes stock. One, he’s not wearing his original clothes. He is, instead, dressed in what looks to be some sort of scrubs. They’re loose, with a v-neck, and purple. On his wrist is an electronic bracelet that he stops to examine, only to realize that it has no screen or openings. Alarming, he’ll have to figure out what this is for. Quickly.

His eyes flicker away, around the room. Two, there’s blue carpet, and a door. Good, he’s not trapped in this room. Whatever he’s here for, it’s not to stay in one room. Perhaps he can escape. Perhaps. He’s unsure. Immediately he walks forward, seizing the doorknob and throwing open his route to the outside.

Three, he’s in a maze.

Yusaku lets out a long breath as he stares forward at the maze. The room he exited from seems to be elevated from it, with a set of stairs leading to the inside of the maze being his only exit. When he looks down to see whether or not he can escape from going within the maze by jumping from the side of the stairs he only finds a seemingly bottomless bit.

_ Shit _ .

Letting out an annoyed tsk, Yusaku lets his eyes flick around the room. On the walls are other doors, each with either a set of stairs or a ramp that leads into the maze. He counts them. One, two, three, four, five. Five other doors. So six doors altogether. The number makes his stomach churn uneasily, his heart still pounding in his chest as a sickly feeling rises up his throat. 

Six, that can’t be a coincidence. 

He takes three deep, deep, breaths and tries to think about this logically. He’s been awakened in a strange place, with new clothes, and an electronic device around his arm. There’s six doors, and they lead to a maze. The maze, then, must be some sort of test. Which means that whoever brought him here specifically wants to test him for...something.

Six doors. What are three reasons that there would be six doors? The immediate and obvious answer is that whoever took him  _ knows _ about the Lost Incident and captured it’s victims. But that is a solution so terrible and horrifying that he hopes, almost prays, it isn’t true. They’d...haven’t they all been through  _ enough? _ Yusaku and Takeru had only  _ just _ gotten to a point where they felt comfortable moving on, and Jin..he only  _ just _ recovered enough to leave the hospital. The idea, as logical as it is, is too terrible to contemplate. 

But what other options were there? Even if it wasn’t his status as a victim of the Lost Incident, then it would have to be his status as Playmaker that had him taken. Perhaps, if he’s lucky, that is the case and this is simply a sick, twisted, test for him. And the doors were doors he could choose to walk through. That would be the best case scenario for this situation.

The third and final option was that he’d been randomly selected off the street and knocked out with several others. It was the least likely option, but that’s how the Lost Incident selected it’s subjects for the most part, scattering their scientists and snapping up random children that happened to be alone somewhere no one could see them, Yusaku being the ironic exception. So the idea wasn’t baseless, just unlikely. 

Yusaku clicks his tongue, his insides twisting. He tries to study the maze, hoping to mentally map out a route to the doors. But he isn’t at a good angle to see the entire maze. Still, even the little he can make out is helpful, so he tries to chart a path he could take to reach any of the other-

“YUSAKU! IS THAT YOU?!”

The boy in question jerks in place, green eyes snapping towards one of the other doors. On the stairs in front, the door opens behind him, Takeru stands waving his arms over his head. His heart sinks when he sees the boy, ice spreading further through his veins and into the pit of his stomach as he studies his trusted friend and ally.

Takeru is no better off than Yusaku, it seems. His scrubs are red, his feet are bare, and he thinks he can make out the same electronic bracelet. 

“Takeru…” Yusaku whispers, wishing he was happier to see his trusted friend and ally. But he’s not, he can’t be. Because seeing him here just proves that they were both taken, and if they were taken…

The tangible fear grows, and Yusaku can’t help but look at the other doors, wondering if the others would emerge any moment. He hopes not, he really does. Jin…

“Takeru!” Yusaku turns and calls back. His throat is still scratchy, and his voice isn’t used to being loud so the strain made it hurt. 

But his effort seemed to work, because Takeru stops waving his hands over his head, instead cupping his mouth to yell, “Oh thank god! I’m glad you’re here buddy! I have no idea what’s going on!”

Nothing good, that’s what’s going on. Takeru doesn’t seem to have put together that the six of them have been taken yet, even if he does realize he’s been kidnapped. He’s likely still in a state of shock, or he’s already panicked and taken out most of his aggression in the room he exited. 

Yusaku hasn’t begun to panic yet, but he can feel it coming. He knows the signs of a panic attack, and even if he logically knows he can’t do anything to stop it. Already he can feel the shortness of breath, the weight in his chest, the burning tingling of his skin. He’s on the verge of a breakdown, and he wishes Takeru wasn’t looking at him so he could kneel over and gasp for breath. Everything in his skin burns, and it won’t take long for his eyes to water and for the need  _ to breathe _ …

He coughed, his knees giving out as he clutching his stomach, gasping for breath. Sounds become blurry, like he’s underwater, and he can vaguely hear Takeru calling his name. But Yusaku can’t focus on that, he’s trying to...just trying to  _ breathe. _

But breathing doesn’t come easy to him, and the gasping breaths he tries to take only burn his lungs. Droplets of spit spill past his lips as he coughs open-mouthed. They land against the carpet, and his watery eyes spill a few hot tears. He can’t breathe, he can’t breathe,  _ he can’t breathe. _

Gasping open-mouthed and kneeling on the floor, this is what he’s come too. The humiliation would burn if the fear wasn’t stronger still. Every part of him burns. The whole world burns. And it feels like this will never end. He hasn’t had an attack this bad in years, but he can’t even kneel after a moment, his body falling onto his side and curling. The carpet scratches his skin on contact, rough and itchy and more akin to sandpaper. 

Three things, three things, three things. 

Name three things you see and take three deep breaths.

Green eyes open, okay. Gasp, the maze. Gasp, Takeru’s white and red hair disappearing into the maze. Gasp, blue scrubs.

Three more deep breaths, he has to calm down, he has to think. Takeru needs him. Jin might need him. He has to think, he has to get back up. Breathe, gasp, push yourself up. 

His heart is still twisting painfully in his chest even as he forces his bare palms against the carpet. His palms sting, his whole  _ body _ stings. But he needs to get up, he needs...he needs to find Takeru, and the others, they need to get  _ out of here. _

One bare foot manages to find purchase under him, and he pushes himself up onto one knee. Another foot makes it under him, and he manages to stand up on shaky legs. His hands are still clenched against his chest, where his heart is twisting in painful knots, but with a few pants he manages to look up, and peer around the room again with his watery eyes. Takeru is gone, probably having descended the stairs in an attempt to reach  _ him. _ That’s not good, they don’t know anything about this maze, nor does Takeru have a map. There could be traps, or he could get lost. He has to move to another option, so he looks around, seeing if anyone else left their room.

Sugisaki Miyu.

The auburn haired girl is standing on another staircase with another door, donned in light blue scrubs and hands clasped in front of her. Even from here he can see the worry painted across her face. She’s pale, paler than she should be, and looks on the verge of a panic attack herself.

“Sugisaki!” He calls over to her, “Can you see Takeru?”

The auburn haired girl’s blue eyes snap up to look at him. He thinks she may be shaking, but he’s too far away to tell for sure. She nods her head, he can tell that much. 

“Takeru! Can you hear me?” He calls towards the maze.

“Yusaku!” Takeru calls from somewhere inside the maze. “I’m coming for you buddy! Hold on until I get there!”

Okay, Takeru isn’t hurt yet, that’s good. Small mercies. That means in the time it’s taken for Yusaku to have his panic attack and work through it he hasn’t run into a trap. Knowing Takeru he ran in a bit blindly and aimlessly, probably with only a general idea of which way not to go the first few possible turns. But he’s fast, Takeru always has been, he’s the most athletic person Yusaku knows. He should have passed the point where his memory of where not to turn ends, which means either he’s lucky or there’s no traps. Yusaku isn’t confident where he’d place his bets.

“Sugisaki Miyu is here!” He calls out to Takeru, just so he’s informed.

“Shit! Hang on Sugisaki! I’ll come get you too!” Takeru’s voice answers. He sounds frustrated, and angry. He must have run into a dead end. Or maybe the situation is finally starting to piece together in his head. A few choice curses sound from his lips, and Yusaku decides it’s time to turn back to Sugisaki and see if they can work together.

“Sugisaki.” He looks back to the girl. Her hands are cupped over her mouth, and she’s crying. But she seems to snap back into reality when she calls her, blue eyes drilling into him as he forces himself to take a deep breath and speak, “I need you to take three deep breaths with me, alright?”

Sugisaki gives a shaky nod, dropping her trembling hands into her lap. Yusaku draws in a deep, noticeable, breath and she follows suit. They do this three times. Deep breaths in, deep breaths out. It seems to calm her a little. At least enough to push to her feet and shakily call out, “Fujiki? Do...do you know where we are?”

No, no he did not. And she takes no comfort when he shakes his head, her expression falling further. Sugisaki isn’t a fool, she’s clever, and she knows his and Takeru’s status as fellow survivors. She’s probably already put together what’s happening. His suspicions are confirmed when she takes a shuddering breath, tears spilling down her eyes.

“We need to work together to figure out how to get out of here.” Yusaku calls to her, and he hopes that’s enough to help her get it together, because he’s the least qualified person to comfort her. 

Luckily, Takeru is still here and more than ready to comfort in his place, “Yeah! Don’t worry Sugisaki! Yusaku is the smartest guy I know, and between the three of us we’ll get out of here in no time!”

Sugisaki seemed to calm down a little at that, not entirely, but enough for her to swallow her despair and try to keep herself together. Maybe Takeru’s earnest words gave her strength, Yusaku wasn’t sure. They didn’t do anything for him, despite knowing very well that his friend very much meant those words. But Yusaku is a cool and calculated cynic by nature, and even knowing that he had Takeru and Sugisaki on his side didn’t leave him with much hope for their situation. 

He wasn’t even sure what the situation was.

Logically, considering their attire and the manner in which they woke, as well as their status as former test subjects used to create the Ignis, then they were probably being tested. Though Yusaku isn’t sure what they would be tested on in a maze. Direction? Memory? Planning and cooperation? They’re not isolated like they were last time, which is an advantage, but Yusaku isn’t hopeful enough to believe that they wouldn’t have a disadvantage to make up for it. Perhaps they would be punished with electro shocks if they failed to cooperate? Or if they didn’t find their way out of the maze in time? There were no instructions yet, so only time would tell.

Another door opens, and Yusaku’s head snaps up as an unfamiliar boy rolls out of one of the rooms to the leftmost side of the room. Yusaku sas roll because he’s in a  _ wheelchair, _ in this testing facility. If his throat wasn’t already dry then this observation would have been what did him in.

That explained the ramp, at least.

The boy looks around nervously, his swirling head of green hair booping to and fro. He wore a pair of neon green scrubs that hurt the eyes to look at, and his feet were as bare as everyone else’s, though in his case it made sense, because he clearly had a broken leg.

Shit. 

“Oh thank god, people!” He cried out loudly. His voice was downright hysterical, and a few tears escaped him as he gave a nervous little giggle and then called out again, “Okay guys, this isn’t funny and I want to go home now.”

“Is someone else up there guys?” Takeru calls from somewhere in the maze. He still doesn’t sound like he’s run into any traps. This does little to comfort Yusaku, because the uncertainty is worse than the confirmation by far.”

Sugisaki took a deep breath, holding her still shaky hands to cup her lips and call to the new boy, “I’m Sugisaki Miyu! A survivor of the Lost Incident! That’s Fujiki Yusaku, also a survivor. And that boy in the maze you heard just now is Homera Takeru, also a survivor.”

The knowledge seemed to confirm to the boy what had already been confirmed to everyone else, and he responded just about as well. He broke down into tears, hiding his face behind his hands and letting out a long string of sobs. Yusaku watched him awkwardly, not sure what to do, because he’s even worse off than Sugisaki and he’d barely helped with her. 

That is, until the boy started gasping, his own panic attack setting in as he sobbed and spit and snotted all over himself. It was an ugly sight, the mysterious boy’s face going red and blotchy and twisted as he cried harder and harder. 

“H-Hey…” Miyu held out a hand, trying to reach for the boy. But she couldn’t, not without trying to go through the maze first, and she wasn’t willing to do that just yet. So all she could do was stare at him helplessly.

But they couldn’t just stand there. So Yusaku sighed, cupping his lips and calling after the boy himself, “Hey you!”

The boy didn’t seem to hear him at first. It took a few more tries, a few more “hey you” called over and over again. Finally, the boy stiffed, his blotchy face turning to look at Yusaku. His whole face was caked in snot and tears, twisted in despair. But that didn’t matter, because what mattered most was calming him down and making sure he was mentally okay. 

“I want you to think of three things.” Yusaku held up three fingers for the boy’s viewing, “Three reasons to live, three reasons to go home, three reasons to defeat the enemy.”

“How is that supposed to help?” The boy sniffed, using his bare arm to wipe his face clean. Good, that was a sign Yusaku was getting somewhere with him. 

“I already answered that.” Yusaku reassured him, dropping his hand, “By thinking of three reasons, you’ll find the strength to fight.”

The green haired boy seemed dubious, but he also wasn’t crying any longer. That meant Yusaku had done his part, so he turned away, looking back towards Sugisaki, who seemed to have also cleaned her own face. Her blue eyes were locked on him, lips slightly parted. At some point while he was talking to the stranger Jin had emerged from another room, his grey eyes burning into Yusaku as well. He was close enough that Yusaku could see the whites of his eyes, and how teary he was. But otherwise he seemed okay, or at least the one least on the verge of a panic attack. Though his bright yellow scrubs made Yusaku’s eyes feel like they were about to water.

“...what’s your name?” Sugisaki asked after a few minutes, looking away from Yusaku and back to the boy in the wheelchair. 

The boy’s lips trembled, but he spoke, “Midori Suzukage…” 

“It’s nice to meet you, Midori…” Sugisaki called towards him. 

“Call me Suzu.” He called back.

Yusaku quirked a brow at the far too familiar nickname, but didn’t judge beyond that. They were in a terrifying place, living out their shared worst nightmare. Whatever ways he seeks comfort Yusaku is more than ready to indulge. And Sugisaki seemed to determine the same, letting out a short breath and nodding, “Then call me Miyu.”

That seemed to make Midori feel better, at least. 

With that handled, Yusaku turned to Jin, “Are you okay?”

Jin shook his head, holding up a hand to sign at him with what Yusaku recognized at the sign for “no.” 

Shit, Jin had gone nonverbal. That wasn’t a problem, normally. Yusaku had learned enough signs to get through a basic conversation and maybe pick up what had set Jin off. But he didn’t know if any of the others knew how to sign, or if there would be a need for vocals later. He’ll have to keep Jin by his side in particular to get through this. At least until Jin goes verbal again.

Right.

“Takeru is in the maze.” He informs Jin, then he waves dismissively to Midori, “This is Midori Suzukage, he’s one of us. Midori Suzukage, this is Kusanagi Jin, another survivor.”

“What dick is doing this to us?” Midori groaned like he was in pain. Yusaku couldn’t even blame him, he felt like laying down and groaning himself. And if he suffered from chronic pain like Yusaku, something very likely considering he happens to know Takeru and Jin do as well, then it’s very likely this is a bad day for all of them.

Shit.

“Yusaku!” Takeru calls from somewhere near the middle of the maze, speaking up for the first time in a while for him. “I found that dick down here!” 

Spectre. 

Ah, Takeru must have found Spectre and gotten into a fight, that explains why he missed out on introductions. That also means everyone is present and accounted for. Also, it means that they have no one but two heads in the maze, neither of whom seemed to have set off any obvious traps. While maybe Spectre could pull this off, both he and the more rash Takeru getting through without hurting someone is unlikely. While Yusaku still didn’t trust that there weren’t any, there was a lot less of a chance than he’d thought. 

“Spectre.” Yusaku called out in answer to Takeru. 

“Yeah!” Takeru called back, “We’re in this big round part in the middle! There’s six doors, but none of them will open! We’re stuck here!”

Well, there’s the trap then.

“You’re stuck?” Miyu called back to them, biting her bottom lip, brow furrowed with obvious worry. She looked back to Yusaku, voice raising a bit, “We have to get them out!”

Green eyes flickered over the three people who hadn’t left their podiums yet, finding all their eyes locked on him as well. And, just like that, Yusaku begins to realize that these three at the very least are looking to  _ him _ to figure out how to escape. 

Eyes widening in panic, Yusaku looks to Jin, who is watching him with all the desperation and barely concealed hope that can only come from someone with no answers desperately reaching towards someone they believe does. Jin looks like he fully believes Yusaku is his best chance to get out of here, and the boy in question immediately feels that pressure on his shoulders. So he looks back to Sugisaki, hoping she, at least, found some sense, only to be disappointed when he finds her eyes firmly locked on him with the same desperate hope. Even Midori seems to have realized that the others consider him to be the problem solver and solution haver of the group, and is looking at him with the desperation of a starving dog.

It’s too much. 

He doesn’t like eyes on him on a good day. And this is not a good day. This is, in fact, the worst kind of day, in the worst kind of situation. He’s being held together by fish hooks and barbed wire, and his bones are porcelain with acid blood. 

With a shaky breath he speaks, and he can only be glad he sounds as cool as others have come to expect of him, “Takeru, Spectre, is there anything else in the room with you? Any sign to what we’re doing here at all?”

There was a moment of silence as the two seemingly stopped to observe the room, hopefully to find whatever would serve as their clue or escape. It took a few minutes, but eventually Takeru’s voice sounded up, “Spectre found some sort of door on the floor! But it’s locked, and it sorta has these six lights around it...yeah, yeah, I’m getting there...okay, so, Spectre wants me to tell you that the six lights have four red and two green! He thinks it’s some sort of lock that needs all six of us!”

Six lights, six doors, six test subjects. Two lights are green, and there are two people in the center. The doors lock behind the subject once they reach the room, assuring no exit. Meaning that the door can only be opened from one side and once you’re in you’re locked in. If they sent a third person, it would be likely that the next light would turn green. So, the hypothesis for this would naturally be that whoever designed this test wanted them all towards the center together and all six of them would be needed to unlock the door. Most likely that meant this was, in fact, a test of cooperation. Though Yusaku couldn’t say for sure. It seemly didn’t seem right. Spectre had reached the center on his own, as did Takeru, and there was no temptation for why they wouldn’t go towards the center. Only the maybe reward of getting out of here, which could be done solitary.

Something was wrong. 

His eyes flickered towards the others, who all seemed to be flickering between watching him, the maze, and each other. 

“We should guide one person at the time towards the center.” Yusaku told them calmly, green eyes flickering between his options. Jin would be the most logical person to start with since he can’t call back to communicate with them right now if he gets lost. It’s best to send him in while they have eyes on every corner so they can guide him easily. Then he and Sugisaki can guide Midori, as they’re standing on the most opposite ends of the room. Then they’ll have to traverse the maze by themselves without aid. It’s something he’s reluctant to do, but they’re the most objectively capable of finding their way on their own right now. 

Decision made, he turns to the others, “We’re going to guide each other to the maze one at a time. Jin is nonverbal right now, so we’ll send him while we still have eyes high. Then we’ll send Midori.”

Sugisaki didn’t seem entirely happy with the decision, but she didn’t protest either, nodding her head in agreement, her hands twisting the front of her shirt in knotted balled fists. She took a deep breath, turning to Midori, who also nodded with even less reluctance. 

Actually, Jin seemed more reluctant than either of them. His eyes  _ burned _ into Yusaku, grey dark with desperation as he knotts the front of his hideous scrubs as well. His heels dug into the carpet beneath his feet, and he signed at Yusaku,  _ ‘What about you?’ _

“I’ll find my way.” He told Jin firmly, pointing towards the maze. “Both Spectre and Takeru managed to make it to the center on their own, so it’s not impossible. You just need to trust that Miyu and I will make it.”

Jin’s lips thinned, still very much not liking the decision they made. But, despite this, he nodded. He threw his trust in with Yusaku and Sugisaki and took that first step down the bridge between himself and the bridge, still looking uncertain as he descended. He stopped every couple of steps, throwing uncertain looks between the three he was leaving behind. But Sugisaki and Midori just gestured silently, urging him to keep moving, waving arms and nonverbally telling him to  _ go. _

Soon Jin stepped off the stairs and onto the carpeted floor of the maze. Yusaku could still see the top of his head peeking over the wall from his angle. He looked to Sugisak and Midori both, “Can you see him?”

“I can a little.” Midori answered, squinting in Jin’s direction.

“Not at all.” Sugisaki shook her head, her auburn locks tickling her neck before she looked back to Midori. “Do you think you have this Suzu?”

“Yeah...yeah I think Yuzu and I have this.” 

_ Yuzu? _ Did Midori mean  _ him? _

Yusaku sighed, shaking his head and deciding to focus more on getting Jin through the maze. He mapped out the first few walkways, marking off the obvious dead ends before deciding to start guiding Jin. “Alright Jin, start moving forward and then make a left.”

“Don’t worry buddy!” Takeru’s voice sounded again, “I’ll be right here waiting for you, so there’s no need to be scared!”

If the words helped Jin at all Yusaku was not in a place to observe. What he could see was Jin’s purple mop of hair going forward all the way until the first fork, where he made a left and kept going. 

“Okay, now make a right.” Midori called, and Yusaku was impressed that Jin followed the stranger’s instructions and did just that, taking the so far correct path. He’s not sure whether it was a show of trust, the situation at hand, or desperation, but Jin followed the instructions perfectly, every call from those still on the steps guiding his steps without a single pause of need to contemplate. Jin didn’t run into a single dead end, and if there were traps to run into at all then the guidance of the tree remaining above the maze protected him from them right up until he was out of all their sights.

“He’s here!” Takeru called a mere minute after Jin disappeared from any of their sights. Which means that Jin had been able to find the last turn on his own without setting anything off. Or that he’s made the last turn to find the door after a failed turn or two and there really were no traps. 

“Did the lights chance at all?” Midori called back to Takeru, comfortable taking an active roll now that he’s spent so much time doing so with guiding Jin.

“Yeah!” Takeru answers, “Three green, three red.” 

That confirmed it then, they all needed to find their way to the center of the maze and that should theoretically unlock the door and get them...out of here at the very least. It was something to work towards, at least. 

“We’ll be there in a moment.” Sugisaki called back, her blue eyes flickering towards Midori, who was already halfway down the ramp by the time Yusaku turned to pay attention to him. His wheelchair wasn’t electric, just a fairly standard one that used his arms to move, which might present a problem later, but Yusaku would accommodate his plans around Midori’s needs, just as he would for Jin.

If they’re a chance they can get out of here then he’s leaving  _ no one  _ behind. 

“Go right.” Yusaku calls out to Midori when he reaches the first turn. One problem he’s already observing is that Midori is not used to moving the wheelchair at all, so his control is sloppy, and it takes a long time for him to make a turn. If he makes a mistake it will take him much longer to fix than someone experienced with a wheelchair, or Jin. It was a miscalculation on his part, and he doesn’t intend to make such a mistake again. Especially since they’re down a set of eyes and thus a good portion of the ground they covered before. It was harder to get Midori through than Jin by far, and he and Sugisaki would stop for long pauses to double and triple and recheck the routes again just to be  _ sure  _ they weren’t leading him down the wrong path. And when Midori was out of their sight it was much sooner than when Jin was lost to them. 

Both he and Sugisaki lingered for a while, worried that Midori would trek back, lost, and need to be led back. They waited a long time, nothing but loud curses from Midori’s lips filling the air for whole stretches of minutes. After a while those loud curses were eventually joined by Takeru throwing reassurances towards the wayward boy, promising that he was doing well and that he would be helped again as soon as he found his way to the center of the room. 

One good thing that came from this, however, was that Yusaku could confirm for certain that there were absolutely no traps waiting for them. Why? Because Midori ran into no less than five of them. And Yusaku knows this because the boy loudly groaned and threw out violent strings of curses and complaints when he ran into one. If there were traps to be found, then Yusaku is fairly certain that Midori would have set them off by now. 

It doesn’t exactly comfort him, but it does make him more confident that he and Sugisaki will get through the maze just fine on their own. Perhaps it will take a while, but it should be fairly safe until they reach the center. It was the after he was worried about, because he still hasn’t found the catch to all of this.

His gaze flickers to the roof, glaring at the fluorescent lights that shine down on them. There’s no clocks or timers anywhere, so it was impossible to tell the time. And unless he wants to commit more of his attention to counting rather than finding solutions to ways out of here, then it’s likely he won’t be keeping accurate time tracks.

He hopes that the maze isn’t running on a timer. 

It takes another long few minutes, by his best guess, before Midori finally let out a loud, “Fucking finally!”

“He’s here guys!” Takeru called back, “ Four greens! Just you two left!”

Good.

Green eyes meet blue, and Yusaku and Sugisaki find themselves in something of a staring contest. The girl in question looks uncertain all over again, frightened even, still clutching the front of her scrubs and biting her bottom lip. She’s keeping it together well, he thinks, better than most wold. She’s brave. 

“To the best of my observation, there’s no traps.” Yusaku attempts to reassure her with facts, because that’s the only comfort he has left to give. He holds up three fingers now, listing off the reasons he believes this, “Spectre and Takeru both manages to find their way to the center in very little time without setting any off, Jin managed it very quickly as well, and if there was anything dangerous Midiori’s multiple misdirections would have found them. It should be safe.”

“Oh screw you Yuyu!”Midori cried out in pure offence, using a new nickname. Takeru’s laugh sounded from the center of the maze, followed by what Yusaku could  _ swear _ was Spectre’s. 

And that simple human moment of offense and humor and even, somehow, calm seemed to reassure Sugisaki more than any words could. A smile twitches onto her face, and she raises her hand to hide a little giggle behind it. It’s not...okay...not really. But the little distraction does a lot for morale, and the girl looks up and gives him a much calmer nod, “Okay, I’m ready.”

“Then we’re both descending.” Yusaku nodded as well. His skin is still burning on his bones, stretched too thin and too tight and too everything. But he’s as ready as he can be. So he takes his first agonizing step downwards, hissing only a little as his bare foot brushes too scratchy cheap carpeting.

One step at a time, count them in threes, start again. It doesn’t seem so long if you do it that way. Small goals, small accomplishments. That’s all he can manage right now. It doesn’t feel like victory, but it motivates him forward. He hopes Sugisaki feels the same. They don’t have the reassurance of help like Jin and Midori, or the single minded need to help like Takeru did. They only have the single minded determination to get home, probably Spectre’s goal.

Yusaku would have to be sure to observe Spectre when they met in the center. While certain that Ryouken would  _ never _ let the Hanoi Project happen again, he doesn’t entirely trust his lieutenants. And while they  _ might _ have nothing to do with this, maybe, and while his suspicions that they maybe were the ones who have done this is founded by quite a bit of bias, the fact they were the ones who kidnapped and tortured them the first time and they clearly haven’t learned their lesson or even apologized since makes him incapable of dismissing them. A conclusion that isn’t helped by Spectre’s claim to have loved being part of the initial experimentations.

But he genuinely, truly, believes that Ryouken wouldn’t let this happen again. Not ever. If nothing else he believes in Ryouken’s guilt. His regret. In the good within that boy that allowed him to betray his father for the sake of six lives. That part of Ryouken he hated and wanted buried. Yuskau truly does believe that no matter how much Ryouken claims to regret saving them he’ll never take back that decision. Even if Ryouken is a man that will always decide what’s best of what’s right, he’ll never do this. Not this.

And that’s the biggest thing keeping him from keeping the Knights of Hanoi as he number one suspects. 

SOLtech is his next suspect. 

It might matter, he supposes as he walks down the hall of the maze, carpet still scratching into his feet. The maze seems so much larger now that he’s eye level, and far more objectively intimidating. The walls stretch past his head, and even if he jumped he wouldn’t be able to peer over. And they’re a solid block, with no cracks or indents. There’s no way to find purchase on them to climb. He’ll have to go by memory alone and hope for the best when he reaches a part that was blind to his eyes.

Go straight, make a right until the second option to turn, make a left, go to the third choice and make another left, then make an immediate right at the next turn. It’s a winding and confusing path, one that makes the instincts curl and boggles the senses and makes him feel turned around. But he trusts his memory. Yusaku’s body has never been as sharp as his mind. So he doesn’t let the doubt set in. He knows the path up to a certain point, and he follows it strictly, not allowing himself to be distracted.

He hears the occasional update from Sugisaki about her location, along with the occasional reassuring comment from Takeru and Midori. But Yusaku doesn’t give his own update until he’s officially reached the point where his mental map ends, “I’m at the point where I was no longer able to memorize my path.”

“Dude, you sound crazy close.” Midori comments from what must be two walls away, which means he’s closer than he thought. It’s all a matter of not taking the wrong bath and getting lost or turned around. He just needs to follow a simple trial and error system and remember what turns he takes and how many he takes from here on out.

“I’m close too, I think.” Sugisaki calls out from somewhere further away from him. She doesn’t sound worried or frightened, which is good. It means she’s at least a little confident. 

“You guys have got this.” Takeru calls again, not for the first time and likely not for the last, “You guys are really smart, you’ll get here in no time.”

“Yeah, you’re super smart Mimi! You’ve got this!” Midori’s voice sounds from the center as well, drawing Yusaku closer, he turns to the right, wanting to get closer, but it only leads to a dead end. Gritting his teeth, he takes the journey back a bit, ready to start again. 

“This isn’t so bad…” Sugisaki calls from far too close, “Once you get used to it then it doesn’t seem so scary.”

“Yeah, don’t worry about it, you guys will be here in no time.” Takeru reassures her, “I mean, Spectre and I got here all by ourselves and it didn’t take too long. And then when you get here we’ll group up and get out of here. Then Spectre can buy us all pancakes.”

“I don’t recall agreeing to this.” He hears Spectre speak for the first time. His voice isn’t raised, which means Yusaku is close enough that he doesn’t have to yell with his already sore throat for communication anymore. Excellent. 

“You’re the rich one.” Takeru points out, “You live in a mansion. You pay.”

“I don’t have permission to use that money, and I never agreed to this.” Spectre sounds incensed at the idea. 

“Like Reeeeeeeee...yyyyooouu...ken…like Ryouken doesn’t have the money to burn.” Takeru states dismissively, “Come on Spectre, pancakes! I’m sure the guy has room enough for you in his cold, black, heart to want you to eat something after all this bullshit.”

“How dare you-”

“Pancakes!” Midori cries out, “Pancakes! Pancakes! Pancakes!”

Midori got a whole chant going, one that Takeru joined in on enthusiastically. And, to Yusaku’s astonishment, Sugisaki soon joined in from wherever she was. The chanting of “pancakes, pancakes, pancakes” in unison. For a moment, he almost felt pity for Spectre. But then he remembered that the jackass tried to make him second guess how bad his abuse affected him and took Zaizen Akira hostage, and suddenly Yusaku thinks this punishment is well deserved. 

“Pancakes aren’t even good for you.” Spectre scolds after a while, having been worn down by the chanting, “If we were going to eat, you would need something to make up for your abysmal appetite. Like a salad.”

“Boo, that’s rabbit food.” Midori mocks with a scoff, “We should have eggs.”

“Maybe he’s a vegan.” Takeru laments, and Yusaku can just  _ see _ the disappointed shake of the boy’s head. “It would make sense. Spectre is the second worst. Right after Ryouken.”

“There’s nothing wrong with being vegan.” Sugisaki calls with a giggle. 

“Yeah, don’t insult vegans like that Ruru.” Midori tsks three times, like a disappointed school teacher. “Comparing them to Spectre like that.”

“Oh god, you’re right. I need to apologize to every vegan.” Takeru acts like he’s been given a revelation. 

Spectre makes a noise  _ so _ offended that it almost improves Yusaku’s mood somewhat. 

“Yusaku! What do you think? Pancakes after this?” Takeru calls out to him. 

His throat is still burning, and his body is still sore, but it’s Takeru. And because it’s Takeru he’ll always indulge, “Only if I don’t have to pay.”

“Deal!” Midori cries out, delighted, “As soon as the six of us get out of here we’re hitting the nearest restaurant and getting tons of pancakes. Pancakes for  _ days.” _

“I’d rather have pasta.” Spectre finally seems to have given up on resisting, sighing like his soul is being sucked out.”

“Oh! That would be fun!” Sugisaki chimes in, “Maybe instead of pancakes we can do something meant for a group! Like Seoul BBQ! I’ve always wanted to try that!”

“Oh! That  _ does _ sound fun!” Midori hums, “I’ve done that a few times with friends, it’s great! You’ll love it!”

“I’m down for that.” Takeru agrees, “Yusaku! BBQ instead! You should like it, it’s not  _ too _ far off from hotdogs.”

“How on earth is barbeque anything like a hotdog?” Spectre seems skeptical.

“Because you grill it.” Takeru says smartly. Then, with a victorious cry, he proclaims, “See! Jin agrees! And his brother owns a hotdog truck!”

“Well, that just settles it then.” Midori puts an end to the debates. “It’s like hotdogs but not.”

Yusaku decides to ignore the rest of the conversation, focusing on making the right turns to get to the center in the first place. He moves, finding a second and third dead end. Hissing between his teeth, he backs away, ending back to the point where his mental map had ended and starting again. Left, right, left again. Dead end. Go back. Left, right, right, left. 

He only finds one more dead end before finally finding what he assumes is the door leading to the center. He can hear the others talking on the other side, sharing stories about themselves and explaining who they are to one another. Yusaku stops, just to listen for a moment and reassure himself that soon he’ll be with a group and not all alone in a white room. The situation is bad. It’s very bad, and he shouldn’t let his guard down, but at least this time he’s not all alone.

The loneliness had been one of the worst parts of the white room. The gawing fraying of sanity. The sensory deprivation. The smell of piss all around him because he had nowhere else to go. Anything is better than the white room, and while he shouldn’t let his guard down, he’ll take comfort in the fact that he’s not there.

He listens, for just a moment, to the sound of Takeru’s voice. To the stories about his grandfather’s dojo and his grandmother’s homemade cooking. And he just...listens...finding comfort and familiarity in the simple stories he’s already heard twice over from his friend. 

When had he grown so used to hearing people speak?

Maybe living with Ai and Roboppy had worn down his intolerance, or maybe he was just too fond of the few friends he had. But, somehow, without noticing, he’s gotten used to this. 

He presses his forehead against the metal door for a bit, letting the coolness of the surface wash over his forehead for a moment, just listening as Takeru speaks. He raises a hand, letting his palm land on what looks like the doorknob. His bracelet beeps, a small green light flashing twice from it before an equally small clicking sound comes from the door. Then he’s pushing it open, emerging from the depths of the maze no better or worse than he’d entered it.

“Yusaku!” Takeru perks up, standing up from where he sat cross legged next to Jin and Midori. He rushes over, like he’s ready to barrel right into the blue haired boy, but stops short, his pace slowing to a walk as he restrains himself. Instead of barreling into him, Takeru merely drops an arm around Yusaku’s shoulders, “You okay buddy?”

There’s a note of concern to Takeru’s voice, but Yusaku just appreciates that he didn’t say anything more than that. The others are staring at them. Jin is already up on his feet, hands twirling around one another, his grey eyes drilling into Yusaku with intensity that the boy just wasn’t used to. He looks away, but that means his eyes land on Spectre.

He’s never seen Spectre in anything but a suit. And while he’s seen Spectre in a worse state, his mental breakdown over the tree being a very memorable experience for Yusaku for how uncomfortable it was, he still doesn’t look like his usual smug and superior self. He actually looks pretty miserable. And small, like his ugly orange scrubs shrunk him, or maybe Yusaku is just too used to seeing him in that suit. Either way, Spectre looks no happier being here than anyone else, which makes Yusaku’s suspicion that the Knight’s of Hanoi are the ones behind this die a little more. 

Then, against his will, he can’t help but think,  _ ‘Now you know how the rest of us felt.’ _

It’s a shitty thought to have, and he refuses to verbalize it.

“I’m okay.” He says instead, turning away from Spectre and looking over the rest of the group. Sugisaki hasn’t rejoined them yet, but he suspects she’ll be here soon. “How are the rest of you holding up?”

“About as well as can be expected.” Takeru grimances, turning back to face the others as well. “Which...we’re coping.”

“Coping.” Midori gives a shaky smile, still trembling a bit. “Yep, totally doing that well. Absolutely. Looking forward to that barbeque.”

Even Spectre spoke up, frowning deeply, hands clasped in front of him, “This was not part of the plan, and I’m quite incensed that I am unable to perform my duties to Ryouken-sama.”

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but being kidnapped generally isn’t something people enjoy.” Midori pointed out snidely. 

Yusaku didn’t pay attention to the ensuing sniping, instead focusing on the room itself. The center room was round, with the six doors leading to the mazes circling the walls. But the floor itself was a bright red brick that led to a circular center with grass. In the middle of this small, grassy, center was a door built right into the floor. Green eyes narrowed, and he pulled away to walk closer, observing the door.

As Takeru and Spectre described, it was surrounded in what looked to be lighted locks, five green and one red. But the door itself was interesting. It was metal, but painted to look wooden, with a doorknob with a face painted on the center. 

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Yusaku breathed, staring at the almost cartoonish door. He rubbed his forehead, annoyed. Who designed this to be so childish? Did they think this would comfort the former kidnapped victims they trapped here? Because it wasn’t working. At all. 

Unless this was designed for when they were children and just hadn’t had a chance for use until now.

The thought deeply unsettled him, because that would mean someone has had more than enough time to meticulously plan this. That wouldn’t bode well for their rescue. Hopefully their kidnappers underestimate the sheer power behind the allies this group has accumulated. Yusaku can’t speak for Midori, but the rest of the group is not without formidable friends. He alone would inspire Kusanagi’s rage, but Jin would only double down his efforts. And Sugisaki’s presence automatically brought Zaizen Aoi’s wrath, and with her Besso Ema’s. And where Ema goes Blood Shepard will reluctantly follow. Then there’s Spectre’s presence, which will attract the attention of the Knights of Hanoi. 

Though the unsettling question here is how Spectre was captured in the first place. Everyone else here had understandable vulnerabilities. Even him. Especially him if you peel back the layers of cyber security and look at him as just a lonely highschooler with few friends and no family living in a shitty apartment. For all his paranoia there’s only so much he can do to defend himself, especially against those that already know his status as a former victim of the Hanoi Project. Objectively, Spectre was the safest of them, being part of a group of highly advanced and wealthy cyber terrorists and living on a boat out at sea. For all intents and purposes, they shouldn’t have been able to find him. 

Whoever took them must have been stalking them for a long, long, time. Watching and observing their schedules and weak points. Yusaku tried to mix up his schedule and the routes he took to meet Kusanagi and Jin at the food truck, but obviously his precautions weren’t enough. Spectre, maybe, had been too confident to do even this much when he was on land. And his overconfidence in the Knights had cost him.

None of this was comforting knowledge and it did not bode well. All these realizations did was make Yusaku’s churn all over again. 

As he comes to these realizations, Sugisaki’s door opens. The girl wanders in without a problem, showing there was no penalty for being the last one in. All that happened was the last light on the door turned green.

Takeru jumped up, waving at the girl, “Sugisaki, hey-”

Then, before anyone could even so much as finish a sentence, their bracelets all pinged, lighting up and vibrating softly, like a cellphone notice. Yusaku lifted his arm to study it, when a chamber opened and a holographic projection opened. A small screen with text opened in front of his face, and a woman’s voice sounded from the bracelet, “Congratulations on surviving the first ring, Response. From here on you will make your way through the other rings with limited guidance and rewards.”

“Hey!” Takeru sounded infuriated, gritting his teeth at the screen, “Where are we? Who are you? Why did you bring us here?”

“The rules are as follows.” If the female voice could even hear them, she was ignoring Takeru’s fury, coolly listing the rules instead, “Each ring will present a different physical, emotional, or psychological challenge. Your performance will be judged after every ring. Rewards will be given based around the rating of said performance.”

It was uncomfortably close to the rules during the Lost Incident, Yusaku couldn’t help but notice. And that sent yet another wave of discomfort through him. And, judging by the uncomfortable looks on everyone else’s faces, they realized this too.

“When do we get to go home?” Sugisaki asked the screen with a resigned hope, like she wanted to hear that they would go home, but wasn’t actually expecting this to be the case. Yusaku couldn’t blame her. The first time they were rescued was a mixture of luck and guilt. The result of Ryouken growing a conscience and betraying his father to save their lives. Yusaku has no doubt that the six of them would be dead without that decision, and he somehow doubts that they’ll be so lucky this time. 

“You have each been granted a designation.” The voice explains. The screen changes, leaving a list with a name printed on the top and a list of observations about his performance in the maze underneath. 

**‘Alice.’**

He studies the list of observations intently, noting everything that was noticed about him. ‘Social ignorance.’ ‘High levels of empathy.’ ‘Observate and calculate.’ ‘Shows ability to commit extreme detail to memory.’ Many more things followed, detailing everything they noticed about him in this room and rating him.

Green eyes narrow at the screen. These aren’t just observations from a distance, these are observations made by minute to minute intense observation. They were likely watching them even now. 

“The Mad Hatter?” Midori asked uncertainly, like he wasn’t sure what he was staring at.

“The March Hare.” Takeru wrinkled his nose, “What kind of name is that?”

“Better than ‘The Gryphon.’” Spectre looked displeased by what he was reading on his screen, “I do not know what qualifies me to be a “Gryphon”, but I can’t say I care for the designation.”

“I’m...the Dutchess.” Sugisaki frowned at that, touching her own face in a show of insecurity. Her brows knit together for a moment, his lips whispering the names she heard to herself before she perked up and looked to the others, “These are Alice in Wonderland characters!”

“Alice? Like, the movie from Disney City?” Midori asked, his own frowns knitting together. “I’m the guy in the green hat?”

“Oh, I remember reading a bit of the book now.” Spectre frown, hands finding his hips, wrinkling his nose, “I’m afraid I can’t recall a Gryphon character.”

“He’s later in the book.” Sugisaki explained, still touching her face as she turned to Yusaku, “Who are you?”

“Alice.” He replies evenly.

“The main character? How is that fair?” Midori grumbles, pointing to Sugisaki, “If anything she should be Alice. She’s blue, and a girl.”

“The names probably don’t mean anything.” Takeru grumbled, tapping his screen. “I mean, what even is a march hare?”

Somehow Yusaku doubted it was random. So far the kidnappers had been too meticulous. Or so he thinks. They also could be very, very, foolish and lucky. Only time will tell, but Yusaku feels more comfortable assuming the worst rather than hoping for the best. 

“Each ring will test you.” The voice cuts in, continuing it’s explanation, “Every ring will test a different aspect of you. As you continue through the game, you will accumulate points to spend in your rest chambers. A rest chamber will appear every two rings. There you will purchase food, rent a bed, or buy a chance to use the restroom and other washing facilities. As well as comfort items such as books, blankets, and other items.”

Yusaku rubbed his chin, letting his eyes flicker towards the points he’d earned by way of assessment. Two thousand and fifty points. It seemed like a sizable number, but how much did these rest and comfort items cost? He could skip showers, or sleep on the floor rather than a bed, maybe he could even piss in a corner if he was desperate. But food was an absolute must. And he’d have to save points in case he failed future challenges. Then there was making sure the others were all fed and rested for their challenges. The charges could pile up even if they pooled their points together, and he didn’t have any costs memorized. He’d have to take note when they crossed the first rest chamber. Which would be after the next ring, if the voice was to be believed. 

The only question was: how many rings are there?

Did they have an infinite number of rings the six of them were supposed to work through for the rest of their lives? Unlikely. But somehow he doubts they’ll just be allowed to go home after the tests are over either. Dr. Kogami seemed content with running the Hanoi Project until his test subjects died. It’s very likely that they’ll get through all the rings only to find themselves used up and put out of their misery in the name of cleanup. 

His teeth grit at the idea.

“You may now unlock the door and enter the next ring.” The voice told them, a loud clicking following the permission, “And descend into wonderland.”

“Oh my god, this is going to suck.” Midori groaned, looking at the others with a hint of pure despair. “Guys, we can’t really be thinking of going along with this.”

“Do you have a better solution?” Spectre asked, turning to Midori with one of his mocking smiles, “Please do enlighten us on how else we’re supposed to escape, because I’m afraid I haven’t found another means!”

“Shut up Specy! No one likes a quitter!” Midori cried, pointing a finger at the blonde.

Said blonde raised a brow, muttering a small, “Specy?”

It was then Jin walked up to Yusaku, raising his hands to sign,  _ “Don’t see. Answer.” _

“Jin doesn’t see another answer.” Yusaku tells the group about him, turning to watch all of them carefully. “And I haven’t thought of another solution. I don’t have a keyboard or tools to pry open mainframes, so hacking our way out isn’t a solution right now.”

Spectre nodded, not looking particularly happy to agree with him on this front. Whether this is because he doesn’t particularly like that he’s agreeing with him or because he doesn’t like that there’s no keyboard for them to exploit remains to be seen.

“But how many of these rings will we have to get through?” Takeru groans, asking the uncomfortable question no one else dared to as he scratches the back of his head.

There’s an uncomfortable shift in the air as the six of them let their eyes flicker between one another, most of them fidgeting in place. Yusaku’s eyes flickered from the unsure Sugisaki to the grim faced Spectre, to the slightly trembling Jin, and he knows they’re all as hopeless as he is. They don’t verbalize it however. Instead they all cling to whatever hope they have, the will to survive not quite letting them give up yet.

A hand touches his, and Yusaku almost jerks away on instinct. He whirls, finding himself face to face with Jin’s stricken face.

“Jin…”

_ “I trust you.” _ Jin signs to him before reaching out a hand to hold his, giving the limb a quick squeeze, his grey eyes staring hopefully into Yusaku’s, like he really, truly, believed that if he trusts him enough then Yusaku could get him out of there. Jin, who has only just reentered the world. Jin with his scars working down his neck and over his shoulders, just as ugly and knurling as Yusaku’s own. Jin who looks like he truly believes what he said. It’s one of the most devastating looks he’s ever seen, and it makes his whole body want to curl in on itself. 

He looks up and sees that same look in Takeru’s eyes, violet orbs burning into green, “We’ve got this.”

His throat is dry again, because Takeru looks dead serious. He honestly believes there’s hope. And he doesn’t know where his friend finds it from. Because he trusts Takeru with a lot of things, his life being only one of these things, but by all logic…

“Yusaku.” Takeru insists, turning towards him fully now, “We’ve got this.”

“You’re a fool.” Spectre tells Takeru, lips quirking in a cynical smile, “Ah, but far be it from me to reason with fools.”

“I’m surprised you don’t believe Ryouken will save us.” Takeru turns back to Spectre, “So little trust? I’m surprised.”

_ That _ shut Spectre up, his mouth clamping and his face the actual face of pure offense, “Ryouken-sama would never let us die because of  _ amatures.”  _

“Then we just need to survive until he finds us.” Yusaku found himself saying without meaning to, riding high on the disbelief, and the bewilderment, and the  _ trust _ and not a little at wanting to poke fun at Spectre, “I’m sure we can at least do that.”

Spectre actually smirked again then, turning to Yusaku and quirking his brows at the challenge he was just thrown, “If you think you have the skill.”

“Is someone really coming to find us?” Sugisaki asked with a renewed hope, her hands clasped in front of her, “This Ryouken? And...and Aoi?”

“They’ll find us.” Yusaku reassured her with confidence, because they’d either find them or their bodies. It was all a matter of surviving long enough and not getting so far ahead of themselves that they finished all the rings before they could be found. “We just need to plan this right.”

“Getting to one of those rest chambers sounds like a good idea.” Midori pointed out, gesturing towards the now unlocked door. “Waiting there sounds a whole lot better than waiting here anyway.”

“Then we have to get through the next ring.” Yusaku reminded, squeezing Jin’s hand. “And our best shot at that is to work together.” 

“How low I’ve fallen.” Spectre lamented idly, as if he wasn’t wearing the ugliest scrubs in the room right now.

“We can do it.” Takeru boasted, circling around Midori and grabbing the back of his wheelchair, helping to push him forward. “We’ve got this. Between the six of us, we can beat these rings easily.”

Midori gave a loud “Yeah!” at that, pumping both fists into the air. Sugisaki giggled, clapping her hands hopefully in front of her face, and even Jin gave a smile. Even Spectre let his lips twitch for a moment. And, in that instant, Yusaku almost felt like everything would be okay.

So he turns to the door, ready for whatever was to come next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Pokes head from behind fortress] For what it's worth, I'm sorry. 
> 
> I just really want the Lost Kids to bond and of course I must always choose the worst way to do so. I blame myself, really, I just like hurting people I want to protect too much. It's not them, it's me, my love hurts.
> 
> I promise I'm working on my other stuff. But when an idea hits it HITS. And don't you wanna know who did this evil? Stay for the mystery guys~
> 
> Thanks to Katias again for encouraging me. I wrote this story in two days thanks to you.


End file.
